Automation tools connect the apps you already use so small, repetitive jobs happen on their own: a new Gumroad sale adds a row to a spreadsheet, a form signup lands in your email list, a new blog post gets saved to a content tracker. Zapier and Make are two of the best-known options, and both have free plans. They are not the same, though, and the differences matter when you’re running a business in the evenings.
Here’s how the free tiers compare, based on each company’s official pricing page as of October 2026. Plans and limits change often, so check before you sign up.
Zapier Free
- 100 tasks per month. Zapier counts a task when a Zap successfully moves data or completes an action for you.
- Two-step Zaps only: one trigger and one action. Multi-step Zaps start with the paid Professional plan.
- Zapier checks for new data every 15 minutes on the free plan.
- The Professional plan starts at $19.99 a month with monthly billing, with a discount for paying yearly.
Make Free
- Up to 1,000 credits per month. Make counts one credit for each module action in a scenario, such as adding a spreadsheet row; some AI features can use more.
- Two active scenarios at a time.
- Scheduled scenarios can run as often as every 15 minutes.
- The Core plan starts at $12 a month for 10,000 credits, with savings for annual billing.
How to Choose
Zapier is built around simple “when this happens, do that” recipes, which makes it a gentle start if you only need one or two links between apps. The catch is the free plan’s 100 tasks and single action per Zap, which a busy form or store can outgrow.
Make uses a visual canvas where you drag modules into a flow, so one scenario can do several things. That gives a free account more room, but it can take longer to learn, and the two-scenario limit means you have to pick your automations carefully.
Before choosing, check that the apps you rely on are supported by the tool, and look at which features you’d actually use. A free plan that covers your one important automation beats a powerful one you never finish setting up.
Watch Privacy and Errors
Every automation passes data between companies. If a workflow moves customer names, emails or order details, check each tool’s privacy and security pages and only connect the apps you need. Automations also fail quietly: an expired login or a changed form field can stop data from flowing. Turn on whatever error alerts your tool offers, and check your automations once a month.
Do this today
Write down one task you repeat at least once a week, such as copying new subscribers or sales into a spreadsheet. Then check whether both of your apps appear in Zapier’s and Make’s app directories. If they do, build that single automation on the free plan of the tool that fits, and test it with one real entry.
More on Totally Relentless
- What to Keep Out of AI Chats: Protecting Private Data in a One-Person Business
- Why Your Side Business Needs an Email List, Even a Tiny One
